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In my first installment I discussed that I was assigned to the 304th Military Police Battalion in Nashville, Tenn. So why am I writing an article for the Camden Chronicle? I am a Kershaw County resident and have lived in Kershaw county on and off since 1972 when my dad, John Baird Sr., retired from the Army here. When someone writes a résumé in the Army, we call it an autobiography. I will give you a short synopsis of my military and civilian career and how I ended up in Nashville as an Army Reservist. I graduated from Lugoff-Elgin ...

Today's column did not spring from original thought. I'm not the first person to write about CBS' Person of Interest, now in the middle of its second season on Thursday nights. Specifically, I'm not the first person to write about how the show is actually falls into the science fiction genre rather than strictly police procedural or thriller. Nor am I the first to write about why it's such a good show. In both cases, that would fall to Annalle Newitz on io9.com, a blog/website devoted to all manner of science fiction, fantasy and ...

On November 9, I had the privilege of speaking to a wonderful group of people in the gym of Belin United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet. I am not often called on to speak in public and although I am not the most gifted orator, I was honored and even excited to be there. This particular event was the Veterans Day Program held by the church in honor of veterans of the congregation and of this wonderful community. I was invited to speak by Charlie Nash who also planned and hosted the event. If you know anything about Charlie, I ...

There have almost been too many surprises this year to predict which teams we'll be seeing in Super Bowl XLVII. It's been a roller coaster ride of a season, but along the way, NFL fans have learned a thing or two about what to expect in the second half.

I guess every child hears how lucky he is from his parents. I am not sure the story is true. My mother, a widow with little education, told me how meager her Christmases had been in a family of 12 children. According to her, she was lucky to get an apple or an orange, a finger-sized doll and a stick of candy. My brother and I, on the other hand, usually got much more. I remember quite clearly that Santa never got the idea right that I despised dolls, so I received one every year. Contrary to the dolls of ...

(John Baird, an army lieutenant colonel (LTC), is the brother of Rupert Baird, who wrote a number columns for the Chronicle-Independent during his deployment several years ago. LTC Baird is now doing the same. His columns will appear periodically on Mondays during his deployment.)

Last Tuesday's election here in Camden was the tightest I have seen. Mayor-elect Tony Scully won only 91 more votes than incumbent Mayor Jeffrey Graham to win the mayor's seat on council, a mere 2.5 percent difference. Councilwoman Alfred Mae Drakeford and Councilwoman-elect Laurie Parks both earned approximately 27 percent of the vote. The other challengers, Johnny Deal and Peggy Ogburn earned approximately 23 percent each. The sports complex ballot question failed by only 254 votes, or 7 percent.

Articles by Section - Columns

For those of you who believe in an open internet in the United States, the fight is still on. For the moment, though, we can bask in the glory of the U.S. Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) 3-2 vote last week to impose so-called "net neutrality" rules on internet service providers (ISPs).

Throughout Old and New Testament times, most Jews and Gentiles consumed distilled liquor and believed it a healthy part of their daily diet. These beliefs and practices continued from the times of Christ through the settlement of America and the establishment of the United States.

March 02, 2015|
By Harvey S. Teal
Provided by the Kershaw County Historical Society
|Columns

One of my weekly duties here at the Chronicle-Independent is to visit the Walter M. Crower Animal Shelter in Camden and take photos of pets available for adoption to be printed in our Friday edition each week. Actually, I take photos of two cats and two dogs and half of those are published weekly in the West Wateree Chronicle.

Murder is a strong word and truth be known it's not really what happens (unfortunately) when a crape myrtle, a Southern signature tree is topped, but it has become a familiar vernacular amongst plant people. If crape myrtles did in fact die when they were butchered, then the practice would stop.

On Feb. 5, around 1:15 p.m., students at the University of South Carolina (USC) received a text message warning "SHOTS FIRED" -- two words which would send chills and panic through the large campus that is home to nearly 32,000 students.